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CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Ohio baseball team (2-8) fell to the Southern Illinois Salukis (6-6) at Itchy Jones Stadium today (March 5), 7-4. 
 
Individually, redshirt sophomore AJ Rausch (Powell, Ohio) went 3-for-4 with one double, three RBIs and one run scored. On the mound, junior Trent Spoon () started, pitching for 4.2 innings with three strikeouts while allowing four runs on seven hits. 
 
Southern Illinois took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third with a three-run homer down the left field line. The following inning, they extended their lead by one with a sacrifice fly. Rausch put the Bobcats on the board in the fifth with a single up the middle, driving in junior Clay Cutter (Centennial, Colo.) for Ohio's first run of the game. 
 
The Salukis extended their lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single. Ohio closed the gap in the seventh. A Rausch double drove in two runs, with Rausch advancing to third on the throw. The next at-bat, fifth year Colin Kasperbauer (Sioux City, Iowa) grounded out to third base, allowing Rausch to score and cutting Ohio's deficit to one run. Southern Illinois answered the next inning with a two-RBI single, extending their lead to three runs.  
 
Unable to score in the ninth, the Bobcats fell, 7-4. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday, March 8. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Ohio is set to return to Bob Wren Stadium March 10-12 when they host Bowling Green.  
 
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